Strengthening Close Bonds Between Vietnam and Cuba Through Art

A mural reflecting Vietnam-Cuba relations was recently unveiled in Ho Chi Minh City.
May 20, 2022 | 08:22

A mural depicting the beauty of Vietnam-Cuba relations was inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City on May 18 at a ceremony held by the Cuban Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association, municipal Foreign Affairs Office and the city's Union of Friendship Organizations (HUFO).

At the event. Photo: HUFO
At the event. Photo: HUFO

The event is organized to promote cultural diplomacy, further strengthen the special traditional friendship relationship between Vietnam and Cuba, towards the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Cuba (December 2, 1960 - December 2, 2022).

Foreign representatives attending the launch ceremony were Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen - Ambassador of Cuba in Vietnam, Ariadne Feo Labrada - Consul General of Cuba, Sok Dareth – Consul General of Cambodia, Mr. Timur Sadykov - Consul General of Russia, Agustaviano Sofjan - Consul General of Indonesia and the Cuban community living and working in the city.

On behalf of the city, the event had the presence of Vo Van Hoan - Vice Chairman of HCM City People's Committee, Truong Thi Hien - President of the city's Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Association, Do Viet Ha - HUFO President, Pham Dot Diem - Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs, Le Truong Hien Hoa - Deputy Director of the municipal Tourism Department and representatives of the HUFO and the friendship association of some southern provinces and cities.

Vietnam-Cuba ties further strengthened
A part of the mural. Source: phunuonline.com.vn

The picture was painted on the wall of the Cuban Consulate General in HCM City by a group of students from the HCM City University of Fine Arts.

It is painted in a flat decoration style with clear, strong lines combined with cheerful colors, showing a youthful and excited spirit like the relations of the two countries is always happy. and filled with positive energy. The focus of the picture is the image of a Vietnamese boy carrying a Cuban girl on a cyclo.

Cyclo is a unique means of transportation that both countries have. Both of figures smile and say hello to each other in their respective languages. Around in the background are the scenic spots of the two countries. From left to there are the People's Committee office of HCM City and the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana. On the right side is an image of Vietnam's Ha Long Bay and the lighthouses on the coast of El Malecon, at the top is Hanoi-based One Pillar Pagoda.

The landscape is also reproduced through the typical flowers of the two countries such as lotus, mariposa, bamboo trees, coconut trees, sugar cane and coffee beans. All motifs highlight the solidarity and closeness between the two countries and carry the hope of the author and the people of the two countries that this solidarity will be strong and growing in the future.

Speaking at the event, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen said that the work, the first of its kind in Vietnam, reflects the friendship relations between the two countries.

According to the ambassador, such images as lotus flowers, bamboo and sugarcane trees, One Pillar Pagoda, Revolution Square, Ha Long Bay and Vinales valley, and others have proved that there are connections between the two nations in terms of cultural, historical, geographical relationship, adding that it has gone beyond politics.

At the event. Photo: HUFO
At the event. Photo: HUFO

Vice Chairman of the city's People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan said he expects that more cooperative activities will be held not only in the fields of culture and politics but also in health, economy and education, thereby helping local residents understand more about the island and friendship between Vietnam and Cuba, contributing to deepening the relations between the two countries.

Earlier, Ambassador Guillen expressed his delight at the growth of the comprehensive bilateral cooperation in many aspects between Vietnam and Cuba in recent years, especially in important fields such as food import and export and medical assistance. economy, especially during the pandemic, during a courtesy visit to the HUFO's headquarters

The ambassador hoped that in the coming time, people-to-people cooperation, especially among young people, would continue to be promoted, serving as a premise for deeper cultural and economic exchanges between the two countries.

Vietnam-Cuba Ties Further Strengthened
Delegates stand in front of the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Photo: HAUFO

On the morning of May 19, in Hanoi, the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations (HAUFO) and the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Association in collaboration with the Cuban Embassy in Vietnam held a floral tribute and visit to the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace and Uncle Ho's stilt house on the 132th anniversary of his birth (May 19).

They also laid flowers at the statute of Cuban national hero Jose Marti in Hanoi’s Tao Dan Park on the 127th anniversary of his death, which fell on May 19.

Jose Marti, born on January 28, 1853 in Havana, was a prominent thinker, cultural figure and a staunch revolutionary in Latin America in the late 19th century. He led the Cuban struggle for independence and died on the battlefield on May 19, 1895.

He was also credited with laying the foundation for the solidarity between two countries. He wrote the piece “A journey through the land of the Annamese” published in the US magazine Golden Years in 1889, hailing the Vietnamese people’s tradition of patriotism and fighting against invaders.

Vietnam-Cuba Ties Further Strengthened
At a floral tribute was paid to Cuban national hero Jose Marti at his statute in Hanoi’s Tao Dan Park. Photo: HAUFO

Two sides' delegates spend one minute to commemorate the two leaders, the heroes of Cuba and Vietnam Jose Marti and President Ho Chi Minh.

The visit was a great opportunity for delegates to show infinite respect and gratitude for the two great leaders of the two brother countries.

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